KINGSTON, Jamaica — Transport Minister Robert Montague has advised that the ‘Travel Pal’ application [app] is in the final stages of completion for roll out shortly.

The app, which is to be launched by the Transport Authority is a security mechanism that will give commuters the tools to make their journeys safer by enabling them to use their mobile devices to scan the registration plates of units used as Public Passenger Vehicles to verify if they are licensed by the Authority.

Speaking Wednesday at the handover ceremony of a driving simulator donated by the Island Traffic Authority to St Mary High School in Highgate, Montague highlighted that the app will provide some protection to women and students who utilise the public transportation system.

“We are now putting a new weapon in their hands. It is an app on a smart phone that will give your location. You put in the vehicle licence number and you will know if it is a registered taxi with a licence or if the licence plate is stolen,” Montague explained.

Detailing the app’s design, the transport minister said it enables commuters to send the registration plates of the particular PPV to pre-programmed numbers. The app will also provide information on the specific location and expected time of arrival at the destination.

“Once you [enter] the vehicle, it will trigger two phone numbers that you would have pre-programmed to let the person know you are in this vehicle and the [specific] location and your expected time of arrival, so that if something goes wrong and you don’t arrive, somebody is already monitoring your movement,” Montague outlined.

He also advised that the app will have a panic feature linked to the police 119 system and said a Memorandum of Understanding is to be signed with the Jamaica Constabulary Force under the initiative.

The ‘Travel Pal’ application is part of the transport ministry’s 16-point plan geared at reforming the public transportation sector.